Thomas Paine and William Godwin - Literature review Example

Thomas Paine and William Godwin Has the contrast between the ideas and language of Thomas Paines Rights of Man and William Godwins Enquiry Concerning Political Justice been exaggerated? Introduction Thomas Paine and William Godwin were both famous figures and thinkers who represented the zeitgeist of their times in significant ways. Like many other writers and philosophers of their time, they were deeply affected by the French and American Revolution and had first hand experience of the sprit of revolution on the negative as well as the positive side. To understand a given period in history it is important to understand the political thought and the literature of the period and these two writers beautifully present these elements in the Rights of Man (Paine, 1792) and Enquiry Concerning Political Justice (Godwin, 1798). With a careful analysis of the writer’s works and their life, it can be shown that the fundamental idea presented in both the works is similar in tone and meaning to a large extent and the differences between them have been exaggerated since both the writers held similar beliefs. They may have had differences in how they say religion or dogma but they were certainly close in how they saw government and society. Not only as presented in their books mentioned above but also in comparison to their other works and words which show their political as well as philosophical leanings. Thomas Paine Born in 1737, Thomas Paine was an eminent intellectual and idealist of his age and is considered one of the founding fathers of America. In fact, his most famous work, Common Sense is often taken as the root cause of the American Revolution since it was a pamphlet suggesting independence from England. A country revolting against the ruler is always an important point in history and many views can be taken about such a case. There were those who supported the revolutionaries and those who supported the king to the end. Edmund Burke’s view of the revolution that took place in France did not sit well with Thomas Pain since Burke was critical of the revolutionaries and did not appreciate the plight they were in. Thomas Paine wrote Rights of Man as a response to Burke’s Reflections where he set out his own political ideals for government and democracy (Tocqueville, 1956). The book’s central theme is the praise of personal and social liberty as well as the negative effects of government which is too binding on the governed. Political Ideas No matter how he is viewed, Paine was essentially a liberal to the extent that he was seen as a radical element even by his contemporaries. As is evident from his part in the American Revolution, he did not consider the British system of monarchy to be useful at all. Like Godwin, he saw government as a necessary evil that had to be controlled by the people before it got too strong to handle and started ruling and tyrannizing the people like a monarchy could. He was also opposed to slavery, supported the idea of social security, universal education and other means to support the needy (Tocqueville, 1956). Not surprisingly, many of his ideas were not well received when he first presented them, even though his tone was simple enough to be understood clearly by all literate persons in America. While the trend of political discussions and discourse before him was to take the approach of the enlightenment age and use the rhetorical methods proposed by Aristotle, Paine used simple language and was able to use concise arguments to form his points (Butler, 1984). This approach certainly enhances the value of his works since they were very accessible to the local population. Relationship with Godwin It is surprising to say that Paine’s ideas have a high contrast with Godwin since when Paine left for Paris in 1791, he left his friends, William Godwin, Thomas Hollis and Thomas Holcroft to conclude Rights of Man and get it published. As a reply to the criticism on the French Revolution, the book was highly critical of the way monarchs ran their countries in the old world. It also attacked the European social system and their institutions in a negative manner to generate a lot of controversy in a short period (Butler, 1984). In fact, the British government felt so insulted by the book that they put Paine on trial for libel. Undeterred, Paine’s second edition of the book contained plans for the reformation and restructuring of England and an income tax model for the management of government. However, more important than that are the basic points which have been discussed at length in Rights of Man and have gone to form the basic principles of the American government as recommended by Thomas Paine (Tocqueville, 1956). The most important point in the book is regarding the equality of men and how they have rights which are equal in nature to each other. Men are born free and will continue to live freely with equal rights without any distinction except in the case the distinction is made by their utility to the public (Butler, 1984). The emphasis of this point is clearly towards equating monarchs with their subjects since they are not considered equals. The conflict between monarchy and an ideal democracy is highlighted since in an ideal democracy everyone would be equal in terms of rights and obligations. Ideas Similar to Godwin Furthermore, the book takes certain rights to be the ones which must be protected at all costs. For instance, some of those rights are the right to own property, right to liberty and the right to security. Of course the thing which made monarchies most angry with Thomas Paine was his suggestion that if the people of a country feel that they are being oppressed, they have the right to resist that oppression through a variety of means, even armed conflict (Tocqueville, 1956). While Edmund Burke did not consider the revolt in France to be legal, Thomas Paine justified it by showing how the French were being oppressed by their king. Additionally, the work suggests that the rights of man can only be protected if the source of all law making and governing power is the nation. That duty can not be given to any single person or even a group of people since sovereignty belongs to the nation. Only the nation, as a whole, has the right to grant someone the opportunity to rule over them, but if that person does not meet their expectations, they have the right to take it away from them if the people so choose to do so. This suggestion sits very well with the fundamental principles of democracy as recommended by the ancient Greek philosophers and Thomas Paine is in complete agreement with them. Clearly, there are significant links between the government methodology suggested by Thomas Paine and the wording of the American Declaration of Independence. This goes to show how important it was in the minds of the American people who based their independence on the same principles which were used by Thomas Paine to defend the French revolution. Therefore, it is not illogical to say that the American Revolution was based on the French model to a large extent (Butler, 1984). Godwin’s Ideas Another supporter of the French revolution was Paine’s friend and sympathizer, William Godwin. His opinions and ideas are not far removed from Thomas Paine since Godwin also believed in the liberty of men and justice for all as equals before the law. He wrote the first edition of An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice in 1793 and took it through several modifications and adjustments the final draft (as it is seen today) was presented in 1798 (Wikipedia, 2006). Godwin clarified his political positions and ideas which show that he was somewhat of an anarchist. He argued against government by showing that it is a force of corruption within society which makes people dependant upon itself for security and liberty which in fact are the right of people to begin with. It serves to propagate itself and likes to have ignorance and ignorant masses that would not question or interfere with the functioning of the system (Wikipedia, 2006). At the same time, like Thomas Paine, Godwin accepted that some form of government would be necessary for the functioning of society since it would be formed naturally out of the chaos which would ensue if government were dissolved in an instant. While Godwin’s idea of government was that it is an evil entity, he called it necessary as well since it can be used to help people. Therefore he accepts government only if it is benign, useful and helpful for the people who are governed by the system. As Thomas Paine recommended, the consent of the governed is an essential part of the equation and Godwin agrees with that idea (Tocqueville, 1956). Again, it must be said that both the writers were in basic agreement about the establishment and the operation of government for the people, of the people, by the people. Conclusion In a manner of speaking, both the men were seeking and presenting their ideal of a Utopia. Thomas Paine was able to see the creation of America firsthand therefore his utopia was more or less given to him in his lifetime but Godwin’s utopia was more idealistic and still has not been seen. In his vision of the future, there would have been no government needed by the people since morality and the truth would conquer all ills in society. With the use of a person’s innate judgment, s/he would be able to live according to humane principles and with time, there would be no need for courts of justice since all would be just themselves. The spirit of the French revolution and the ideals created by the revolutionaries are clearly evident in the writings of both Paine and Godwin. Godwin also defended and supported the revolt and through the influence of the French revolution he suggests a future where government itself would be considered a form of slavery since it enslaved the minds of the people. Using the example of the French who discarded the king since he was enslaving their bodies, Godwin seems to recommend a mental revolt that sets humans free from the systems which bind them (Philp, 2004). It is important to note that neither of the two writers recommended that government and the rule of law should be done away with completely. Thomas Paine’s recommendation for government says that the only valid form of government is that which protects the right of men and comes with the authority of the people who are governed. Godwin is also looking for the protection of the rights of men and he further suggests that in the future government will not be required since men will learn to live in harmony with each other. Even in terms of criticism and the animosity they both generated with the British they seem to be equals since anything supporting the French revolution (and later the American Revolution) would not sit well with the loyalists and the British political stalwarts at the time who preferred order and government over disorder or anarchy (Philp, 2004). This certainly goes to show that they were more similar in thought and deed than different. Fundamentally, it seems to me that the two men under discussion wanted to bring about change in society; they appreciated the work done by the French revolutionaries and wanted to see more of the same being done in different countries. The only difference is that Thomas Paine took a more realistic approach while Godwin was slightly more utopian in his own outlook towards how things should be done. Overall, I do think that the contrast between the two has been highlighted without giving thought to the individual ideas of each man. Of course it must be accepted that they had differences as individuals since it would be nearly impossible for two men to be prolific writers, thinkers and philosophers without having some disagreements as to the nature and means for an ideal society. However, in the greater scheme of things and by taking a broader view of both Paine and Godwin we find that there are more similarities between the two than there are differences. Works Cited Butler, M. 1984. Burke, Paine, Godwin, and the Revolution Controversy, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Godwin, W. 1798, Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and its influence on modern morals and justice. Paine, T. 1792, Rights of Man. Philp, M. 2004 ‘William Godwin’, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy [Online] Available at: http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2004/entries/godwin/ Tocqueville, A. 1956, Democracy in America, Penguin, London. Wikipedia, 2006, ‘William Godwin’, Wikipedia, [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Godwin Read More